July 15, 2024 3 min read

With record breaking heat waves this summer and a rapidly warming planet—it looks like heat fatigue is becoming the new summer normal. While hunkering down indoors with AC seems like an easy way to beat the high temps, here's a few ways to enjoy our favorite natural playgrounds, heat wave or not! 

 Here Are The Top 10 Tips To BEAT THE HEAT:
Sleeping & STAYING COOL ON SUMMER ADVENTURES

1 

HYDRATE     

Bottoms up! Drink way more water than you think is necessary, as hydration is key to combating heat stroke. The more you sweat the more water and electrolytes you lose, so in addition to extra water, consider bringing an electrolyte replacer like Gu’s Hydration Drink Tablets. Staying ahead of hydration will help you stay heat stroke free.

2

upgrade with hest cooling bedding

Add an extra layer of cool to your sleeping setup this summer with HEST Cooling bedding. Naturally invigorating through a unique blend of jade particles, the HEST Pillowcase Cooling and HEST Fitted Sheet Cooling, extracts heat from your body and the surrounding environment to keep your sleeping surface cool and comfortable, no matter how high the mercury spikes.

3

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY

Avoiding heat stroke is easiest when you’re paying attention to your body’s warning signs. Symptoms of heat stroke and extreme dehydration can vary from person to person, but being aware of what to look out for and regularly checking in with your body can help you catch heat stroke early before it gets dangerous! Here are some warning signs of heat related illnesses to keep an eye out for. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and are concerned about your health seek medical help. Heat related illnesses are very serious.

  • If you haven’t peed in 8 hours or if you are peeing less than 3 times in a 24 hour period, this is a sign you may be severely dehydrated. 
  • Dark yellow urine
  •  Dry, hot skin 
  •  Dry mouth/persistent thirst 
  •  Crying without producing any tears 
  • Lethargy, sleepiness
  • Headache & brain fog 
  • Cramps in your muscles 
  • Dizziness & fainting 
  • Rapid heartbeat/breathing
  • Tinnitus/ringing in your ears

4

FLOAT ON

Detach your Sleep System’s dropstitch base from the memory foam and get on the water! Pumped up to full rigidity, the base does double duty as a floaty. Keeping you extra comfortable at night and helping you cool down during the day… we love the base!

5

KEEP YOUR HEAD COOL

If you’re getting a hot head on a hike, dip your hat in the river and let the cool water trickle down your neck and back! A wet hat goes a long way to cool your brain down.

6

RIVER TRIP

Center your outdoor adventures around water! When you’re recreating in and around the water, extreme heat can become much more tolerable. River trips are a great way to stay cool and enjoy nature when temperatures become too hot for land based activities. Pack your HEST Foamy in a dry bag  and sleep well the whole trip.

7

SLEEP ON MEMORY FOAM

If you struggle with sleep on hot nights you’re not alone! HEST’s engineered memory foam is specifically sourced and designed to perform across a broad range of temperatures. Due to the extra air cells in our HEST Foam our mattresses are more breathable & cooling than other common camping pad materials. 

Read more tips on sleeping better in hot weather here.

8

PORTABLE RECHARGEABLE FAN

It’s easy to be breezy! USB rechargeable portable fans have got to be one of our favorite camping upgrades. Whether you’re in a stuffy van or tent - a little bit of air flow can go a long way in keeping you cool throughout the day and night.

9

ICE ICE BABY

One of the best camping hacks for hot weather is to keep an insulated growler or water bottle jam packed with ice water to sip on throughout the hottest parts of the day. On the first day of your trip: cram as much ice into your insulated bottle as will fit and top off with cool water. If you play it right and have a good insulated bottle, you can keep the ice icy for a couple days! As you drink the icy water down, top off with more ice or if you don’t have more ice, small amounts of cold water. You want to keep as much ice in there as possible, so don’t pour in a bunch of tepid water as it will melt it more quickly.

10

siesta FIESTA 

In the early afternoon when the sun really starts to roast: take a shady nap or lay low. Avoiding exertion during extreme heat is the easiest way to stay cool. Plan your high exertion activities in the early morning or late afternoon/evening and keep your afternoons free for lounging.